Jeff,
Do you happen to know if any patents were issued to Honeywell for their work that you refer to?
Also, I haven't posted this stuff on this board yet. I got an opinion from a materials science professor based on the University of Utah work order found in the 20F:
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wily wrote:
I'm researching a startup company whose product is a ferromagnetic,
nonvolatile memory that uses a Hall Effect sensing device.
One of the claims made is that it has the unique property of not requiring
silicon as the substrate. The single cell and 8 bit prototypes were built on
glass.
My question is: Is this indeed something unique to this particular design
or is it something very standard in semi research?
If anyone is interested in what company is doing this (it is a public
company) or if you need more info, just ask.
Thanks,
wily
Here are the steps outlined for the first step (single cell):
********************************
STEP TWO: SINGLE MEMORY CELL
2.1 Research appropriate ferromagnetic materials for use in a micron scale
memory cell.
2.2 Deposit, using appropriate methods, selected versions of the
aforementioned ferromagnetic materials on silicon or glass substances in
the micron range, as a "stick" normal to the plane of the substrate,
such stick to have an aspect ratio greater than 1:1.
2.3 Place around said stick a state-change conductor intimate to me stick,
of no more than 270 degrees rotation and insulated from it.
2.4 Manufacture, either prior or subsequent to such deposition, a magnetic
flux sensor/detector such as an InSb Hall Effect sensor intimate to the
stick, at one end, parallel to the plane of the substrate, and centered
to the axis of said stick.
2.5 Attach such electrical conductors to the state change and flux sensor
cell thus manufactured so hat electrical current may be applied to the
state change and sensor circuit of said memory cell.
2.6 Test said individual cell for state change, data retention, and sense
capabilities under a variety of conditions appropriate for such a
device, with power on, then with power off for data retention
ANSWER:
The Hall memory is fairly new to the semiconductor industry, but not
unknown; it was written up briefly in one of the little "news" items in
Scientific American earlier this year. It does not require silicon, but
should work best with a high mobility, low carrier density conductor,
which would probably be a silicon wafer. The technique outlined below
seems very convoluted, and looks like it is a method to circumvent a
patent, rather than a good, manufacturable scheme for making high
density nonvolatile memory.
why does it appear convoluted?
the method appeared convoluted in part because of the
need for a "post"; such structures are usually bad news for
trying to (e.g.) do wiring or making electrical contacts,
and really bad for creating the passivation layer (usually
SiO2) needed to protect from oxidation -- these structures
are so small that a tiny oxide patch can cut through the
entire structure, etc.
And finally, Honeywell is not teaming up with Micromem. Micromem issues press releases vague and suggestive enough to make you think this. Honeywell is being paid by the DOE to investigate this technology the same way they are paid to investigate other technologies by other companies who make similar claims.
If you would like to confirm this for yourself, call Mark Pressly at Honeywell:
Mark Pressly
Phone: 816-997-3136
Toll Free: 1-800-225-8829
FAX: 816-997-4094
Internet: mpressly@kcp.com
Furthermore, if you're really interested in a winning nonvolatile memory, you should check out OUM being developed jointly by Tyler Lowrey (of Micron fame) and Energy Conversion Devices (ENER), the JV being called Ovonyx, which already has two licensing agreements with Intel and Lockheed Martin, more to come, and products on the way from Lockheed at least.
Check ovonyx.com and
ovonic.com
wily |
